Emory and Henry College - Sphinx Yearbook (Emory, VA)

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(gtrla’ laakethall It would not be fair to give only an account of the work of the boys’ teams in the Athletic system at Emory. Everyone who has attended Emory and Henry in late years knows the great part that our Co-eds play in our campus life. They have not only been excellent in class work, but have also done their “bit” in athletics. Those who have followed the work of the Waspettes this season in Basketball cannot help but admire the vim and energy which they have displayed. It is true, that they have not been perfect winners, but, considering that they have been at it only one season, their work is little short of phenomenal. The entire student body expects great things from them in coming years. Page Eighty-one

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laaki’tball Sfcmro For the second successive year, the Emory and Henry lxtskctccrs turned in an excellent record on the hardwood floor. By taking ten out of eleven encounters, the 1926 machine eclipsed last year's team, which was victorious in thirteen out of fifteen starts. Beginning the season with abundant material, the team went at a fast clip throughout, and, when the final gun .larked, Wasp supporters everywhere were unanimous in saying that it was the most brilliant success in many years. The season opened with a sensational clash when the locals met their time honored rivals, the Bristol Y team, here. After an intensely interesting Ixittle the Wasps emerged victors by a 25-33 count. When the varsity had piled up a substantial lead, and substitutes had been sent into the fray, the visitors made a strong bid for victory. Near the close of the fray they were on the long end of a 33-32 score. Referee Sharjvc called a foul on the Bristol mentor for coaching from the side-lines, and Captain Byrd tied the count. Paul Gray then put the game on ice in the closing seconds by caging a nice field goal. In the second game of the season, the Wasps completely submerged the Hiwassec Panthers under a deluge of field goals to win an overwhelming 62-6 decision. Hiwassce put up a plucky fight but made scarcely any headway. This is lwlicved to l c a record, as no teams in Virginia arc reported as having held their opponents to a single tally from the floor. Every man on the Wasp team took his share in the scoring melee, but Captain Byrd lead in this department by sending the inflated cowhide through the meshes eleven times. Grccar and Gray followed their captai i with seventeen and sixteen points respectively. From a clear sky dropped the bombshell that startled all Waspdom when the Bristol V team administered the only defeat of the season to the Wasps—40-39. Despite the fact that the game was played on the tiny” association court at Bristol, it had all of the ingredients necessary for an ideal liaskctlKil! fray. The Y men secured an early lead and it was only after a thrilling come-back that the Wasps reached the level in scores. During the final minutes of play the Wasps went into the front of a 39-38 margin. At that time a foul was called on a Wasp guard and Wamble made lx th attempts good to give his teammates a hard earned victory. “The Big Three”—Byrd, Gray anil Grccar—were outstanding for Fullerton's machine. Returning to their nest after the loss of the Bristol invasion, the Wasps met the fast quintet of the West Virginia Mountain Lions in a memorable 1 «attic. The deadly Wasps stingers brought savage roars when injected into the hides of the Lions, but, on the aftermath of the battle, the Wasps had been successful in administering thirty dangerous whelps, while the Lions had left twenty-six scars as remem- brances. Fast at all stages, the fray was one of the best of the season. ‘Paul Gray played one of his most brilliant games of the year and Montie Weaver loomei big in the stationary guard position. Ofsa. flashy forward for Concord, looked brilliant even in defeat. The first game with the Tennessee Teachers was a complete triumph for the Wasps when they romped away to a 41-25 victory. While the score was one-sided the running attack of lioth teams was good and provided many thrills for the spectators. The first half resembled a nice track meet, with the Wasps leading with twenty-nine laps to nine for the Teachers. But the second half found the Teachers coming back with a rush and it was a much faster game, although the Wasps easily maintained their lead. David Grccar lead the locals in scoring honors with fourteen points. The guarding honors were evenly divided between Bailey and Weaver. C. Humphries and Thornburg played l est for the visitors. The Wasps made a dean sweep of their two game series with Teachers by winning a 36-29 decision at Johnson City. The game provided many thrills, but resembled a gridiron classic in its roughness. The lead seesawed continuously and the victor could not lie safely surmised until the final whistle blew. The Wasp passing attack was up to the usual but they seemed unable to pile up any sulxttantial lead. Many innocent snow-birds” were allowed to escape when they could have been murdered with little effort. As a result of this shooting, the Tennesseans lead 17-}5 at half time. During the second half the Wasps located the meshes with greater success and maintained the lead until the close. The Wasps had the edge over the noted Cumberland Bulldogs from way down S'outh and conquered them 40-26. In many respects it was one of the year’s l cst exhibitions of the floor game. Both teams handled the ball well and worked at fast clip throughout the l«attlc. The first half was dose and it was only near the close that the Wasps attained a safe margin of lead. 23-14. The visitors made a great comc-liack and netted ten points while the Wasps retaliated with seven to start hostilities. Every man on the Wasp team played stellar ball, but Kid Bailey proved the shining light with his best performance since wearing the Lemon and Blue. McLanc was the greatest threat for the visitors and did some of the nicest goal shooting seen front a member of a visiting team here during the year. With their stingers oiterating with deadly accuracy, the Wasps flew away with an easy 49-28 victory over a nest of Blucficld College Rattlers. While Blucficld fought a good tip-hill battle, it was soon apparent that they were no match for the Fullerton trained courtmen. The first half was virtually a walk-away for the Wasps with Captain Byrd taking the part of the Pied Piper. When the score stood 25-4 several substitutions were made, but the second-stringers continued the bloody work started by the varsity. The whole team played well, while the substitutes worked like veterans in many respects. Smith and Austin were features for the visitors. Fullerton’s Wasps administered an overwhelming defeat to the Lincoln Memorial Airedales by a 50-20 score. Paul Gray and Captain Byrd uncorked a scoring attack that completely subdued the visitors during the second half. The game, during the first part, was rather slow, -but the Wasp scoring attack resembled a battering ram in its force during the latter half. Montic Weaver, stellar Wasp guard, was the outstanding man in the fray. The excellent floor work of the big North Carolinian was one of his best exhibitions of the year. Flecman and Manley bore the brunt of the attack for the Airedales. The final collegiate encounter was a one-sided affair with the Wasps defeating the Tusculum College quint by a lop-sided 57-35 score. The contest was closely played throughout but the Wasps, scoring ability proved superior to that of the visitors. As usual, the first half was fairly close, but the Wasps came lack stronger in the second half, while the Tusculumitcs seemed to have suffered a collapse. David Grccar gave a performance in running, passing, and dribbling, coupled with good floor work, such as has not been seen here in many seasons. The final fling of the season was taken with the Erwin Y. M. C. A. and resulted in a smashing 52-34 victory for the Wasps. It was the third straight time that the locals had placed their scores above the fifty mark. The visitors led by Gene McMurray, former Maryville star, presented a fast team that kept the battle interesting at all stages. The initial slice was a nick and tuck affair with the visitors having a slight edge in the passing department, but, excellent goal shooting by Byrd gave his team a 19-17 lead at midway. Paul Gray, local ace, who was out of the fray during the first half, returned and quickly assisted in pushing the Emory margin well aliovc the danger zone. Captain Byrd, playing his last game for Emory and Henry, worked like a veteran and was one of the game's features. Page Eighty

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(Stria’ Haakrtball £ raatm To many, the 1926 season for the Emory and Henry Waspettes was a failure, while to others, it contained many redeeming features. Truly, their record was not impressive from the standpoint of games actually won, but such is not the only way in which a record can be viewed. When one stops to consider the great scarcity and inexperience of the material on hand, only praise and admiration can be found for Coach Withers, and the girls that composed the team. Only persons with a super-abundance of pluck and determination would have considered it worth while to begin, much less, carry on through seemingly overwhelm- ing obstacles. After defeating a Faculty team, Glade Springs and Greenfield High Schools, the Co-eds launched into their collegiate schedule by meeting the fast Stonewall Jackson sextette at Abingdon. The 30-17 score docs not give a true index to the fierceness of the battle because the fighting spirit shown by both teams was all that could be desired. The first half was close with the Abingdon lassies emerging leaders by a 14-11 margin. The second half found the Stonewall girls going much faster, and steadily advancing their lead to gain the triumph. For the Emory girls, the work contributed by Captain Miller, Elizabeth Huff, and Hattie Tiller was best, although each girl played well. It was a fighting crowd of Waspettes that uncorked a driving attack to win from Centenary’s Purple and White team 24-23. Entering the game doped to lose by a good margin, the Co-eds, with each starring, completely turned upon the wiseacres in the Emory sporting world. The fray ended in a fitting way for the tense struggle with a foul being called on a Centenary player just before the final whistle blew. Captain Miller made the first attempt in double chances good, from the foul line, to give her team the laurels of victory. The first half, played under the girls’ rules, ended 15-12 in the local’s favor. Centenary seemed more at home during the second half which was played under boys’ rules. Captain Miller gave a good exhibition of excellent goal shooting by ringing up twenty-two points, while Elizabeth Huff garnered the remaining two. The guarding honors were close between Hattie Tiller and Nannie Rollins. Fannie Ellington, Lora Dingus, and Eula St. John also played in a creditable manner. On the following Tuesday night, the Waspettes lost their second invasion on Abingdon courts, to the Martha Washington sextette by a 19-11 score. The contest was full of thrills, but the floor work of both teams was marred by rough playing. At the close of the first half, Martha had a three point lead, but the locals were never able to overtake it, although the Abingdon girls never maintained any considerable lead until the closing second of the game. The work of the Emory team was handicapped by the small Martha court, yet, they were not long in adapting themselves to the surroundings. Captain Miller was the scoring ace for Emory, while the guarding honors were about even between Tiller and Rollins. The return game with the Stonewall Jackson girls proved to be a complete triumph for the visitors when they registered a 44-26 victory over the Waspettes. The Emory team put up a valiant fight, but it was not indicative of their real standard set forth in the Centenary game. The first half was rather slow and close, but the superior speed and experience of the visitors put them well into the front before the half had ended. Captain Miller did most of the goal shooting, while Nannie Rollins proved to be a big thorn in the Stonewall offensive. Jean Francais and Cornelia McMillan were the shining lights for the Abingdon girls. The final game of the season was played on the following night with the Concord State College girls. Again, the long end of a 30-17 score went to the visitors and the second consecutive loss was chalked against the locals. While the game was of the interesting variety at all stages, the work of the Emory team was a disappointment as a whole. The visitors made a strong come-back in the second half that assured victory with a comfortable margin. Captain Miller was decidedly “off color” and Elizabeth Huff and Lora Dingus bore a large share of the offensive work. The guards played good games, but the work of Nannie Rollins was their great redeeming feature. Page Eig ity-t wo